Clair Cameron Patterson
Sign in to saveAlso known as Clair C. Patterson, Claire Patterson, Clair C Patterson, C. C. Patterson, C.C. Patterson, C C Patterson, Claire C. Patterson, Claire C Patterson
American chemist and geochemist (1922–1995)
Key facts
- Born
- Clair Cameron Patterson , ( 1922-06-02 ) June 2, 1922, Mitchellville, Iowa , U.S.
- Died
- December 5, 1995 (1995-12-05) (aged 73), Sea Ranch, California , U.S.
- Education
- Grinnell College ( BS ) University of Iowa ( MS ) University of Chicago ( PhD )
- Known for
- Uranium–lead dating , age of the Earth , lead contamination
- Spouse
- Laurie Patterson ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1944 )
- Awards
- Tyler Prize (1995), V. M. Goldschmidt Award (1980), J. Lawrence Smith Medal (1973)
- Fields
- Geochemistry
- Institutions
- California Institute of Technology
- Thesis
- The Isotopic Composition of Trace Quantities of Lead and Calcium (1951)
- Doctoral advisor
- Harrison Brown
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Cameron
- Family name
- Patterson
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Mitchellville
- Place of death
- Sea Ranch
- Occupation
- geologist
- Educated at
- University of Iowa
- Participant in
- Manhattan Project
- Doctoral advisor
- Harrison Brown
- Image
- Clair-patterson.jpg-e1660456364696.jpg
Show 6 more facts
- date of death
- 1995-12-05
- date of birth
- 1922-06-02
- cause of death
- status asthmaticus
- member of
- National Academy of Sciences
- manner of death
- natural causes
- name in native language
- Clair Cameron Patterson
via Wikidata · CC0
~15 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Clair Cameron Patterson (June 2, 1922 – December 5, 1995) was an American geochemist. Born in Mitchellville, Iowa, Patterson graduated from Grinnell College. He later received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and spent his entire professional career at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
In collaboration with George Tilton, Patterson developed the lead–lead dating method from the established procedures for uranium–lead dating. By using lead isotopic data from the Canyon Diablo meteorite, he calculated an age for the Earth of 4.55 billion years, a figure far more accurate than estimates existing at the time, and one that has remained largely unchallenged since 1956.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Clair Cameron Patterson” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.